Obesity and body fat distribution and breast cancer prognosis

Article Abstract:

Many published research reports have indicated that obesity is a risk factor in the development of breast cancer. About 18 research papers have reported an association, but four have failed to link obesity to increased risk. None of these papers considered the distribution of fat within the body, and several did not distinguish between premenopausal and postmenopausal patients. In a previous study, the authors found only a weak overall association between obesity and breast cancer. However, they did find that obesity in the upper body, as opposed to the thighs, greatly increased the risk of breast cancer. Now, the authors have extended these results by examining the relationship of body fat to the prognosis of breast cancer. Careful measurements were made of the bodies of 248 consecutive newly-diagnosed breast cancer patients, including skinfold thickness of the abdomen and thighs. It was found that the abdomen to thigh skinfold thickness ratio was greater among women with cancer that had not spread to the lymph nodes than that of women who had developed extensive disease in the lymph nodes of the armpits. That is, women with proportionately more fat in their upper body, which was previously found to confer a higher risk for breast cancer, were more likely to have less spread of disease at the time of diagnosis. Furthermore, the primary tumors of these women were also smaller at the time of diagnosis. These relationships were true for both premenopausal and postmenopausal women. When only overall obesity was considered, obese postmenopausal women had a higher likelihood of cancer spread to the lymph nodes. The results indicate that obesity plays an important role in determining the characteristics of breast cancer at the time of diagnosis, but that the role is largely determined by the distribution of fat and the menopausal status of the patient. Since lymph node involvement is generally an indicator of an adverse prognosis, it may be that women with greater upper body fat distribution may enjoy a more favorable outcome. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Usage, Prognosis, Anthropometry

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Obesity, body fat distribution, and sex hormones in breast cancer patients

Article Abstract:

Some researchers have found that obesity is a risk factor for breast cancer, while other investigators have failed to confirm this association. Better established is the relationship between breast cancer and female sex hormones. Women with breast cancer tend to have higher levels of both free estradiol and estradiol bound to serum albumin, but lower levels of sex-hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). Since women with a proportionately greater localization of fat in the upper body also have lower levels of SHBG, the relationship of SHBG, obesity, and body fat distribution may be important in determining the risk of breast cancer. To investigate these factors, 36 women with newly-diagnosed breast cancer were compared with 36 control subjects matched for age and weight. Increasing obesity was associated with a reduction in sex hormone-binding globulin in both breast cancer patients and the control subjects. However, when only premenopausal subjects were compared, the reduction in SHBG was significantly greater among the cancer patients than among the control subjects. A similar difference was not observed between the postmenopausal breast cancer patients and the corresponding control subjects. In both cancer patients and controls, the reduction in SHBG was correlated with increasing upper body localization of fat; this effect was more pronounced among the cancer patients than among the control subjects. Previous work by the same researchers has shown that an increase in upper body distribution of fat correlates with an increased risk of breast cancer. The authors speculate that the reduction in sex hormone-binding globulin found among these patients may account for the correlation between upper body fat and risk of breast cancer. Furthermore, the authors suggest that the reduction of SHBG among obese women may be associated with the increased risk of breast cancer among obese women that has been reported by some research groups. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Health aspects, Adipose tissues, Adipose tissue, Hormones, Sex, Sex hormones

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Abdominal obesity and breast cancer risk

Article Abstract:

Studies have shown that obesity is associated with an increased incidence of breast cancer. Obese women produce excess estrogen, which has been shown to promote breast cancer. Obesity may be classified into the android form, which is weight gain in the upper body, or abdomen, shoulders, and nape of the neck, and the gynoid form, which affects the lower body, or the thighs and buttocks. Android obesity is associated with more pronounced metabolic and hormonal abnormalities, longer menstrual cycles, and various diseases, such as diabetes. Women with android obesity have decreased levels of sex hormone binding protein and increased levels of estrogen, which may increase their risk of breast cancer. The influence of body fat distribution on breast cancer risk was assessed. Various body measurements, including height, weight, and thigh, abdomen, suprailiac (flank), waist and hip circumferences, were made on 216 patients with breast cancer and 432 normal subjects. Patients with breast cancer had greater ratios of waist to hip circumference and suprailiac to thigh skinfold than normal subjects. The risk of developing breast cancer increased with increasing ratios of waist to hip circumference and suprailiac to thigh skinfold. Patients with breast cancer also had greater upper body obesity, such as within the skinfolds of the triceps and biceps. The results suggest that women with android obesity are at a high risk of developing breast cancer. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Cancer, Estrogen, Estrogens

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